Interviews of the two finalists for the presidency of Chadron State College moved from Chadron to Wayne today in conjunction with meetings of the Nebraska State College Board of Trustees.

Dr Randy Rhine and Dr Guy Mills will meet separately with System central office staff this afternoon, then have executive session interviews with the trustees tomorrow morning.

Rhine is something of a known commodity locally after becoming  an administrator at Chadron State the past 7 years and the interim president since May, while Mills…president of Northwest Kansas Technical College…is virtually unknown to area residents

Mills…who earned all his college degrees at schools that are part of the University of Missouri system…says he decided to apply for the Chadron State vacancy because of what he knows about the school and the area.

He says Chadron State has a “fabulous reputation” that would “make it a privilege” to work with the school’s faculty and staff, while Chadron is a “great community” that’s in the “right part of the country” for Mills and his wife because they’re both “rural people” who enjoy the High Plains.

Asked what his general vision is for Chadron State College over the next 15 years, Mills says it’s for the school to play a major role in developing a top-level quality of life in the region.

Mills feels there are “a lot of fabulous programs” on the campus, and he would work to sustain the best of those. He would also work to sustain the community and region, with the college serving as a “hub” for maintaining and expanding the kind of quality of life everyone enjoys.

Mills sees Chadron State as a “real wonderful opportunity” to bring in new people to a community and region that are continuing to lose population. He says it would “be a great thing” to bring in the “best and the brightest we can find and figure out ways to connect them” with local jobs and start growing and strengthening the “economic culture here.”

Mills spent 20 years in the public school system as a teacher, principal, and superintendent before moving into college  administration…where he’s been at both 2-and-4-year schools, including being president of Northwest Kansas Tech for 3-1/2 years.

It’s a background he feels has given him a number of strengths that he would bring to Chadron State as president, but Mills thinks his #1 strength would be his feelings for the rural lifestyle of the area.

He says he and his wife are “rural people,” and that his personal appreciation of the rural lifestyle and smaller communities could help in finding ways to invigorate the area.

Although Mills and Rhine are being interviewed by the State College Trustees tomorrow, College System General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Employee Relations Kristin Petersen says the board will not be making a decision in Wayne.

Petersen, who coordinated yesterday’s on-campus meetings and interviews in Chadron, says there’s no set timetable for a decision on the new president, although the trustees do hope to act quickly.

The case of a Chadron man originally accused of child pornography and molestation had a scheduled appearance in Dawes County District Court postponed Tuesday, with Clerk of the District Court Sharon Harrison saying negotiations are continuing on a plea agreement.

District Judge Travis O’Gorman rescheduled 30-year old James Savery to appear on December 11th. He was arrested in May on 8 counts of 1st-degree sexual assault of a child and 4 counts of possession of child pornography, but all but 4 of the sexual assault counts have been dropped.

Savery entered a NOT guilty plea in June after waiving a preliminary hearing. Court documents show that he’s accused of sexually assaulting two children, one under the age of 12 and one under the age of 16, from January 2011 until his arrest in May.

The Chadron School Board is giving the city of Chadron a roughly 15×80 foot strip of land along the north end of the Kenwood Intermediate School property to formally set the right-of-way for a long-standing alley…as long as it doesn’t result in any cost to the district.

Adjacent landowners Charlie and Shelly Decker had approached the district earlier this fall about the idea, explaining that they’d discovered the alley was not where it was supposed to be and without a change would prevent them from changing the entrance to their garage to the south side of the building.

Board member Dave Johnson raised the question if changing the alley…also used by Kenwood teachers and staff…would increase traffic and pose a danger to students, but was assured it would not.

Superintendent Dr Caroline Winchester said ceding the strip of land to the city would also mean the school district would no longer have a liability risk for any accidents or other problems on the alley.

The Deckers will pay all associated costs…including surveying…to formally establish the current site of the alley as the proper location.

The school district would have to share the cost if the alley were ever paved, but board Buildings and Grounds Committee chairman Keith Drinkwalter said city official Janet Johnson had told the panel that there are many more pressing needs and she didn’t anticipate that happening for many years…if ever.

Doug Hashman, who farms near Berea, has been elected Box Butte County Commissioner.

In a recount that took place Tuesday morning, Box Butte County Clerk Judy Messersmith reports that the final numbers did not change from last Thursday.

The canvassing board met at that time and found Hashman to have received 20 more votes than Marvin Toedtli.   Following Tuesday’s recount, the numbers remain the same at 2,330 for Hashman and 2,310 for Toedtli.

Hashman will succeed Cap Brixius of Alliance, who chose not to seek re -election.

Hashman will be sworn in as a commissioner on January 3, 2013.

On Thanksgiving Day, many people will give thanks before enjoying what may be the favorite part of their Turkey Dan dinner — a delicious piece of pie — or two.

Alliance area residents can purchase their Thanksgiving dinner pies from the Alliance Jaycees … and help a resident in need.

43-year-old Corey Penaluna, who is a customer service representative at the WESTCO Car Care Center, is fighting cancer of the stomach and colon. He was diagnosed in early September and is currently taking chemotherapy treatments in Scottsbluff twice a month.

While insurance is a huge assist in paying for the treatments, there is still the expense of medications and travel.

Corey, a native of northern California, has lived in Alliance for five years, moving to what he calls “The Best Hometown in America,” due to family ties and job opportunities that would better himself.

Corey’s wife, Lisa, is a homemaker, who cares for their two young sons, Cody, 5, and Levi, 2.

Penaluna told KCOW Radio that while the doctors have informed him that the colon cancer in particular is aggressive, the chemo treatments are having a positive effect.

“I’m maintaining a positive attitude and looking on the bright side of everything I can,” he said. “I am blessed to have the full support of the WESTCO employees as well as family and friends.”

“Please relay my gratitude to people for helping me,” he concluded.

The Jaycees “Pies for Penaluna” promotion is now underway. You can purchase apple or pumpkin pies for $15 each. The Jaycees will be taking orders now thur this Saturday, November 17.

Contact Morgan Wimmer at 760-7686 to place an order.

Pies can be picked up at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church at 16^th and Cheyenne on Tuesday, November 20 from 5 pm to 7 pm.

Along with a pie for Penaluna, a prayer for Penaluna would also be appreciated.

The two finalists for the presidency of Chadron State College are meeting today with campus groups and the public in a series of on-campus question-and-answer sessions.

Northwest Kansas Technical College President Dr Guy Mills and CSC interim President Dr Richard “Randy” Rhine were selected as finalists to succeed the retired Dr Janie Park out of a poll of about 20 applicants.

Each will be meeting this morning or afternoon in the Student Center with students, faculty, support staff, and professional staff before ending with sessions with the public in the Sandoz Center Atrium. Dr Mills will meet the public from 4:30-5:15 while Rhine will be there from 5:30-6:15.

Guy Mills has been at Northwest Kansas Tech in Goodland for nearly 3-1/2 years. The school, which has 579 students, has nearly doubled its enrollment over the past 4 years and was recognized by “Fast Company” magazine last year as one of the top 5 “technology decked out colleges” in the nation.

Mills earned his Bachelor’s degree at Missouri-Kansas City, a Master’s degree and an Educational Specialist degree from Central Missouri State, and his doctorate in education from the flagship University of Missouri.

His professional resume includes 7 years as history teacher or principal and 13 years as a school superintendent…all in Missouri…and 3 years as Director of College Relations for the multi-campus Metrolitan Community College system…also in Missouri.

Mills was a faculty member or department head at Missouri-Kansas City and South Dakota State University between 1994 and 2001 when he became Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Minnesota State-Moorhead.

After Moorhead, Mills was Dean of the College of Education and Technology at Fort Hays State, then Dean of Education and Associate Provost at the University of Texas-Permian Basin until being named president at Northwest Kansas Technical in June 2009.

Dr Randy Rhine is a native of Arkansas and earned all 3 of his degrees…Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD at the University of Arkansas.

After graduation, he spent 2 years with the U-S Department of Agriculture as director of Adult Basic Education in Arkansas, then returned to his alma mater and spent the next 12 years holding a variety of posts in the Division of Continuing Education.

Rhine left his native state for Montana State-Billings in 1996 to become Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Lifelong Learning…working under Dr Park, who was a vice-president.

He was one of her first hires at Chadron State in late 2005, bringing him in as a special assistant for enrollment and retention. Rhine was named Vice President for Enrollment Management, Student Services, and Director of College Relations the following year and held the post until named interim President in May.

Again, the public question-and-answer session with Dr Guy Mills runs from 4:30-5:15 in the Sandoz Center, followed from 5:30-6:15 by Dr Rhine.